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GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (AP) -- Teenager Carlos Alberto led FC Porto to its second Champions League triumph on Wednesday with the first goal in a 3-0 victory over AS Monaco.

The 19-year-old forward, prefered as a starter to South African striker Benni McCarthy, fired home from 12 yards (meters) six minutes before half time to give the Portuguese champion and last season's UEFA Cup winner a 1-0 half time lead.

Porto then scored two goals in four minutes in the second half. Russian substitute Dmitri Alenitchev provided the pass for Deco to score the second in the 71st and then taking a pass from Derlei to add the third in the 75th.

Porto, now led by one of the game's best young coaches in 41-year-old Jose Mourinho, also won the title in 1987 by beating Bayern Munich 2-1 in Vienna.

GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (Reuters) -- A brilliant finish from Carlos Alberto gave Porto a 1-0 lead over Monaco at halftime in a nervous Champions League final at the Arena AufSchalke on Wednesday.

The 19-year-old Brazilian reacted first to a ball that rebounded to him off a defender, swinging round to crack a shot from 10 metres between two defenders and just inside the post six minutes before the interval.

Monaco had looked marginally the better side until that point, coming close to a goal inside the first three minutes when Jerome Rothen found Ludovic Giuly with a precise ball through the middle.

Giuly looked to have time to place a shot but Vitor Baia raced from his area to clear.

Two minutes later, Porto's lively Carlos Alberto showed great skill in skipping over a couple of challenges down the left only to send in a weak cross.

With 15 minutes gone a mistake from Porto in midfield allowed Rothen to play another ball, this time out wide, for Fernando Morientes to run on to but the flag went up for an offside decision that was marginal at best.

Monaco hopes were hit when they had to bring off Giuly because of injury in the 23rd minute, Dado Prso taking his place.

There was little else of note in what was largely a poor first half, before one moment of class from Carlos Alberto put the Portuguese side ahead.

FIRST-HALF HIGHLIGHTS

46' - Nielsen blows the halftime whistle.

46' - Ibarra earns a corner kick with a run down the right side, but Rothen's kick is headed out by Costinha.

42' - Bernardi looks to have broken into the penalty box but is flagged offside.
Monaco fans enjoy the scene in Gelsenkirchen.
AP

GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (Reuters) -- Fernando Morientes could become the first player for 35 years to score for two different sides in Europe's ultimate match after being passed fit to play for Monaco against Porto in the Champions League final on Wednesday.

Morientes, who has scored 11 goals in the competition this season, has overcome an ankle sprain and will lead Monaco's attack at the Arena AufSchalke.

A veteran of three Champions League victories with Real Madrid in 1998, 2000 and 2002, Morientes, loaned by the Spanish side to Monaco this season, scored in Real's 3-0 victory over Valencia in Paris in 2000.

The only player to score for two different clubs in the final was Velibor Vasovic, who found the net for Partizan Belgrade in their 2-1 defeat by Real Madrid in 1966 and for Ajax Amsterdam when they lost 4-1 to AC Milan in 1969.

Ronald Koeman scored in the shoot-out when PSV Eindhoven beat Benfica 6-5 on penalties after a 0-0 draw in the 1988 final and he claimed Barcelona's winner in their 1-0 victory over Sampdoria in 1992 -- but penalty shoot-out goals do not count in a player's official tally.

Porto, bidding to become the first club since Liverpool in 1976 and 1977 to follow up a UEFA Cup final victory by being crowned European champions the following season, had no injury worries going into the game.

The only decision facing coach Jose Mourinho was over who would partner Brazilian Derlei Silva in attack and he played cautiously by starting with Carlos Alberto wide on the left rather than a second straight striker in the shape of South African Benni McCarthy.

Porto are bidding to lift the European Cup for the second time following their success in 1987.

Didier Deschamps of Monaco was hoping, at 35, to become the youngest coach to win the European Cup, 11 years to the day after captaining the Olympique Marseille team that beat AC Milan 1-0 in the 1993 final.

Funny thing is... They won this cup exactly 16 years and 364 days after their last one

Pah, proper football. I was hoping for a bit of NFL. Maybe I shoud buy a football game. I used to think hockey was boring until I bought the game way back when and then I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread.

Pah, proper football. I was hoping for a bit of NFL. Maybe I shoud buy a football game. I used to think hockey was boring until I bought the game way back when and then I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread.

Thats right, proper football it is.
You Americans just wait until Major League Soccer grows into a gigantic football franchaise in the US waiting to take over the NFL!

Alan Smith has vowed he is ready to win the doubters over after completing his 'brave' £7million journey from Leeds to Manchester United.

Smith: £7m Old Trafford deal (LaurenceGriffiths/GettyImages)

After passing his medical with the Red Devils, Smith signed a five-year contract at Old Trafford that has succeeded in alienating him from supporters of both clubs.

Smith: £7m Old Trafford deal (LaurenceGriffiths/GettyImages)

Leeds fans are seething that the home-town boy they hailed a hero during a disastrous last 12 months has so actively sought a transfer to their bitterest rivals.

United supporters are not much happier given Smith's badge-kissing antics after scoring during the last league match between the sides at Old Trafford in February and also fear the Yorkshireman's arrival could trigger the departure of Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Smith has so far met any criticism directed at him with a firm shrug of the shoulders and insisted he has the right to join any club he wants.

However, the 23-year-old has accepted the move has generated plenty of ill feeling and knows there will be plenty of sceptics waiting to condemn him when he runs out in a United shirt for the first time in August.

'Not a lot of people would have been brave enough to make this step,' he told MUTV. 'But I am prepared for what comes with that and I am looking forward to the challenge of playing for Manchester United.

'I can't wait to get started. I want to prove myself here and win the fans over with my performances on the field.'

Just 24 hours since their own review revealed they had paid over #14million in agents fees in the three years from January 2001, United added another #750,000 to that figure as part of an overall package that will see cash-strapped Leeds net their entire £6million cut of the fee up front.

Smith waved the signing-on fees he was owed to push the deal through, one last gesture to a club he said he one day hoped to play for again only to make the move that now renders it an impossible dream.

While he knows there is no chance of building bridges with the supporters at Elland Road, Smith, who has won eight England caps and is on standby for Euro 2004, is hoping his determination to play for United wins him some goodwill around Old Trafford.

Middlesbrough, Everton and Newcastle all expressed an interest in the Rothwell-born player but Smith quickly made it plain he wanted to join the Red Devils.

Sir Alex Ferguson, already a long-time admirer, could not have been more impressed and quickly asserted his desire to sign a player who will add an extra physical presence to his strikeforce.

'I have never been more impressed with a young player,' said the Scot. 'His desire to play for Manchester United is fantastic. Certain young people come along with a special determination and, after speaking to him, I expect that from Alan Smith. That desire will take him a long way.'

Under the circumstances, Smith could hardly claim his move is a dream come true.

Instead, he said United were the epitome of everything he desired as a young footballer kicking a ball around in the streets of Rothwell.

'Growing up, I wanted to be the best I could be,' he said. 'I want to win everything I can. That is the biggest reason for coming here. Manchester United is a team of winners. They play in every tournament going and I want to become a winner too.'

And he is not prepared to hang around either.

Faced with the formidable obstacle of van Nistelrooy - 110 goals in three seasons at Old Trafford - and Louis Saha - seven goals in 12 league games - Smith might have been expected to agree when asked if he would be happy to start life as a United player on the bench. He did not.

'I am not prepared to spend time on the bench,' he said. 'I want to make an impact straight away.

'If you are going to be successful as a team, you need a good squad but I believe I am good enough to play in the team. Hopefully I will be proved right.'

Leeds fans are seething that the home-town boy they hailed a hero during a disastrous last 12 months has so actively sought a transfer to their bitterest rivals.

United supporters are not much happier given Smith's badge-kissing antics after scoring during the last league match between the sides at Old Trafford in February and also fear the Yorkshireman's arrival could trigger the departure of Ruud van Nistelrooy.

I've been a Leeds fan for some 13 years now and I can't say I'm exactly angry about Smith moving to Manyoo really.Seething? I felt more disgusted with players like Harry Kewell and Lee Bowyer whose departures were a bit eventful to say the least. I mean, any player if given a choice between Fergie's Fatheads, Middlesboro and Everton shouldn't have a hard time seeing who are the best team. He had to go anyway, and any fans who still harbour ill-feeling towards Smith should grow up. We're in the bloody First Division now, so why hate Manyoo; their fans laugh at the fact that we see them as rivals when we're not in the same league as them.

Ruud the horse leaving would have nothing to do with Smith. Blame Ferguson. He doesn't seem to like his players (except Keane) very much and seems intent on driving them all insane. Heck, he even managed to rile poor Paul Scholes, one of the quietest and nicer footballers around.

I really hope Team Germany won't be able to advance to the finals. Maybe those multimillionaire clubs of the likes of Bayern Munich (how I hate those suckers!) come to realize that they need to raise talents on their own, not just to buy everything that looks somehow promising on the international market. I have the impression that the German team seriously lacks talent and promise...
Yea, I know I will be cheering for black&white when the match finally starts, but at least I know something good may come out of an "untimely" failure of Völler's boys...

I really hope Team Germany won't be able to advance to the finals. Maybe those multimillionaire clubs of the likes of Bayern Munich (how I hate those suckers!) come to realize that they need to raise talents on their own, not just to buy everything that looks somehow promising on the international market. I have the impression that the German team seriously lacks talent and promise...
Yea, I know I will be cheering for black&white when the match finally starts, but at least I know something good may come out of an "untimely" failure of Völler's boys...